


When tomorrow comes

by drmrs



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Family Feels, Gen, felicity and will interaction, oliver and will interaction, post 7x07, season 7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 03:00:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16823782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drmrs/pseuds/drmrs
Summary: It’s not possible.No.The person on the line continues to speak and his voice is steady and clear this time. It’s undoubtedly his dad. It can’t be anyone but his dad.Oliver's first time speaking to Will after being released from prison.





	When tomorrow comes

**Author's Note:**

> This kinda got away from me. 
> 
> I made William an angsty boy ok.

His phone buzzes.

Will bites back a sigh and glares at the device on the bed next to him as though that’ll somehow make it stop. Instead, it continues to vibrate incessantly, the screen flashing to signal another incoming call from Felicity.

It’s mid-afternoon and he’s alone in his dorm. His roommates have gone out to play a game of basketball and while they had extended the invitation to him, Will had said no.

Will knows that he should probably _try_ to make friends. There’s no definitive time frame on how long he’d be in this school and it’ll probably be a good idea to at least get to know his roommates beyond their names. But Will’s tired of making friends only to end up leaving. It’s happened too many times lately. Besides, he’s really hoping he wouldn’t be here long enough to need to get comfortable.

Will had opted to read instead. It had been serenely quiet in the room after his roommates left and Will had sat in bed and has been reading for almost an hour, making it halfway through the tenth chapter of _The Count of Monte Cristo_ when his phone had started vibrating.

Felicity keeping in contact with him is not new. She texts him all the time – when she and dad had been working while Raisa watched over him all the way through to when they had been in witness protection. He’d gotten much closer to Felicity through those texts.

While his dad is embarrassingly bad with anything that had to do with tech and would rather call him, Felicity was a serial texter and wasn’t particularly fond of calling. They used to mercilessly tease his dad for being old school. Felicity and Will has had an ongoing conversation through texts since he’s met her. She’d constantly flood him with memes and science articles and he’d send her anything interesting he stumbles across on the internet. 

Will therefore hadn’t been surprised when she kept texting him even when she had sent him off to Cambridge while she remained back home. What had been surprising, however, was Felicity suddenly calling him. He had barely replied to any of her texts since he had left Starling, but it hadn’t deterred Felicity in the least. But then, on his first day at boarding school, Felicity had called after his last class to ask him how his day had been. Even though all he had offered her was a curt ‘fine’, she had called him again the day after to check up on him. And then the next day. And the day after that. Like clockwork, Felicity would call him within an hour of his last class to ask him how his day had been.

Their conversations had been filled with unbearable awkward silences where Felicity tried to find things to say to him while he stubbornly fixated on his anger. He couldn't let go of his disbelief that she had sent him away, had done it without even considering his feelings and for not letting him have a say in it whatsoever. The phone calls had been weird and Will kept waiting for her to just give up but that only seemed make Felicity more motivated to carry on a conversation and pretend like everything’s okay.

After almost two weeks of her calling daily, Will had snapped. He doesn’t fully remember what he had said. All he knows is that his roommate had received a care package from his parents and when Felicity had called with that forced levity he’s heard too much of since his dad had gone to prison, asking him how his day had been, it had tipped him over. He had been lonely, frustrated, irritated and just so _resentful._

He vaguely remembers insinuating that she didn’t care about him – _didn’t love him._ He remembers accusing her for abandoning him, saying that it had probably been easy for her to just leave him. He had told her not to call or text him anymore, claiming it was bothersome. He hadn’t even let her get another word in before hanging up on her.

He had felt awful and ashamed in the aftermath. He still cringes when he thinks about it.

Logically, Will knows that she had sent him away as a safety precaution. He knows that she had meant it when she had promised him that she would come for him once Diaz had been dealt with. He _knows_ and yet, it still felt a lot like he had been abandoned yet again. 

Felicity had sent him a long text a couple of hours later, apologizing and telling him that she hadn’t wanted to leave him but that she needed him safe. She had told him she loved him. She told him everything he already knew and it had just made him feel worse.

She hadn’t called him again, but she did continue texting him daily. Though, it's evident that she has been conscientiously keeping it minimal. She only provides him with updates on what was going on and nothing else now. Will knows he has to be the one to take the first step at rectifying the new normal but he just isn’t quite ready yet. So instead, he makes sure to reply her once a day just to assure her that he’s safe.

It’s somewhat an understatement to then say Will’s shocked that she’s calling him now. It’s been three weeks since her last call and she had just texted him an hour ago with an update which he had replied to. He had assumed that the first call could’ve been an accident but apparently, he’s wrong.

His phone stops buzzing abruptly and the notification of two missed calls stare up at him. A few seconds later, his phone goes off again.

Snapping his book shut, William grabs the phone and presses the answer button. 

“Hello?”

He expected to be instantly greeted by a torrent of words or at least Felicity saying hi but instead, it’s silent. 

And then –

A muffled sob.

It isn’t the fact that the phone call is unexpected that causes him to panic. It’s not the fact that it’s unlike Felicity to be so quiet, even on the phone. It’s not even the fact that the line is apparently crying.

It’s that the voice is distinctively not Felicity. It’s undeniably a male.

Will bolts upright in bed, his hardback landing on the ground with a loud thud although he barely notices it.

“Hello? Uncle Digg, is that you? Is Felicity okay? Did something happen?” Will can’t seem to get the words out fast enough and he trips over them until it’s barely comprehensible.

It’s probably only a few seconds but the silence that follows is excruciating.

“Will.”

Will staggers to his feet, his breath stuck in his throat.

_No_. Will recognizes that voice. _But no. It can’t be._

The world seems to tip on its axis while everything seems to have come to a standstill at the same time. Everything fades away and all Will can hear is the static on the phone.

It’s not possible.

_No._

“It’s- It’s me, Will.” The speaker continues, and his voice is steady and clear this time. It’s undoubtedly his dad. It can’t be anyone but his dad. “Felicity’s fine. Everyone’s fine. We’re all safe.” Oliver pauses and Will’s breath stutters. When Oliver continues, his voice is soft although the awe and adoration in his voice is loud. “I love you so much, Will.”

“Wh-What is going on?”

His father huffs a laugh and it’s that small sound that finally seems to jerk everything into clarity. It prompts Will’s eyes to water and his throat to constrict. Unbridled hope surges through him as it fully dawns on him that his father is calling him from Felicity’s phone.

_It’s really him._

“It’s over,” Oliver says steadily. “I’ve been released from prison and Diaz won’t hurt anyone anymore. It’s over, Will.”

Will has had spent months without seeing his dad. With people continuously telling him how dangerous Slabside is and how it would be much safer for him to keep a distance from his own father, Will had come to terms with the idea that he wouldn’t see or hear from his dad in a really long time.

But this -

“ _Dad?_ You’re home? You’re _really_ home?” William hears the disbelief and hope clearly in his voice and from the way his father sucks in a deep breath, he knows it has to be obvious.

“Yeah,” Will can hear the smile in his Oliver’s voice and it makes the corner of his own lips to curl. “I really am, buddy. I’ve missed you so much.”

Will struggles to put his thoughts together and accept that this is real and through it all, his dad waits patiently on the line. Will has so many questions he needs answers to, and months’ worth of things he has wanted to say to his dad and they all clamour for his attention. But as he opens his mouth to speak, there’s only one question he needs to know the answer to.

“Can I go home now?” It prompts a sharp laugh from Oliver but it sounds wet and entirely joyful.

“Of course, Will. I can’t wait to see you. Felicity and I are coming to get you really soon, okay?”

“Okay,” The tears in his eyes spill over and Will wipes them away quickly. “Okay.”

“Listen, I want to hear all about how you’ve been and what you’ve been up to but Felicity and I need to sort through some things now so that we can get you home as soon as possible. We’ll have all the time to catch up when we’re finally together again, though.” Oliver pauses and takes a deep breath. Will can almost picture him preparing himself for what he’s about to say. “Will? I just need you to know that I’m sorry. I’m sorry for leaving you and Felicity like that. I love the both of you and I needed to protect you and keep you safe.”

The rebuke is on the tip of his tongue that _no_ , he could’ve stayed. Will doesn’t fully know what had been happening but he’s certain that team arrow could’ve found a way through it no matter what. He manages to tamper it down but Will is not ready to forgive his father just yet regardless. It’s not nearly enough for the hurt he feels and he suspects his dad knows as much from the way he continues, not expecting a response. 

“Felicity wants to speak to you, but I’ll see you soon, okay? I love you so much, Will.”

Regardless of how angry Will is at his dad though, he can’t quite tamper the sob that escapes him.

“I love you too, dad.” His voice is choked and the words barely make sense but Oliver seem to get it from the way he repeats them back fervently, the smile evident in his voice.

It’s embarrassing and Will is glad he’s alone in the room but he’s happier than he’s been in months and _he’s going home._

There’s nothing but silence as they both savour the moment before Will hears the muffled voices of Oliver and Felicity talking and the sound of the phone being passed over.

Will sucks in a breath, shifting his weight from one foot to another.

“Hey, Will.” Felicity hesitates and the shame at having taken out his anger on her surges to the forefront again. “So um, we’re going to call your school to let them know we’re coming to get you tomorrow.” The pause is loaded this time and he wills himself to say something but his voice fails him. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner about your dad getting released. It was crazy for a while and I didn’t want to get your hopes up in case something went wrong. Everything’s okay now and we’ll be there as soon as possible.”

“Okay,” Will replies, his voice barely audible.

“How about big belly burger when we’re all back in Starling? We can even get rocky road ice cream after.” Will can’t stop the snort that escapes him when that comment is quickly followed by a distant protest from Oliver that went unheeded. “We could watch _Crimes of Grindelwald_ together while your dad pretends like he knows what’s going on. Does that sound good?”

Will has to clear his throat. “Yeah. I’d really like that.”

“Good. Okay.”

There’s a pause and Felicity starts to say her goodbyes when Will quickly cuts her off.

“Hey, Felicity? I’m really sorry.”

Will braces for a reprimand or at least a lecture of some sort but Felicity quickly dispels that idea.

“No. Will, it’s okay. I understand,” she says softly, “It’s a repeat of what your dad just said to you but we’ll always try to protect you – even if that means we have to send you away for a while. We love you. _I_ love you, Will. And I’ll always do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”

“I know. I love you too, Felicity.” He pauses as he mulls through the idea. “So, uh, do you need to call my school right away?”

“No.” Felicity replies and Will can almost picture her beaming. “No, we don’t have to.”

Will can’t quite tamper the smile as he sits down on his bed to get comfortable. “So, I got into trouble with my chemistry teacher today. Apparently, I ask too many questions and need to stick to the curriculum.”

Felicity snorts. “That sounds familiar. Give me a second, I’m going to put you on speaker. I’m sure your dad will love to hear this too.”

When they finally get around to hanging up almost an hour later, Will immediately sets about packing his belongings.

He can’t wait to go home.

**Author's Note:**

> Listen, I just wanna know how many schools Will has been enrolled in at this point. 
> 
> Thank you for making it to the end!


End file.
